Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My toddler has just now turned two. Since birth she has had a Hispanic caretaker that has spoken nothing but Spanish to her. Her father, brothers, and I only know English. Being a teacher, I know the importance of being fluent both English and Spanish and I was hoping that my daughter could one day help Hispanic children just coming into the public school system and speaking no English to feel more comfortable. Our daughter's caretaker says that she knows everything that she is saying in Spanish but that my daughter will give her the answer to her questions in English, not Spanish. Will the Spanish come or are we doing something wrong? (Rosa is with my daughter about 8 hours per weekday.)
Robbie
I think you are expecting too much at her age. She has probably chosen to speak English because, to her, this seems to be the most important to the people she loves.
To add to what the others said, she may still also be processing information. 8 hours a day is significant so she more than likely does know the words but cannot put them together or, finds it easier to just say it in English because that's what comes quicker to her.
Did her language develop at a normal rate? I only ask because I know with bilingual children language comes later; with my little brother (dad only speaks spanish and was there with baby awake maybe 4 hours a day) he was a late talker because of the fact that he is bilingual AND he also needed tubes... (another topic lol) but even now, at 19 months old he'll often answer us in english but when he wants something he'll ask in the appropriate language, ex: if he goes to my dad he'll say "agua" vs. "water.
Have her sitter try to push the language more, by asking your DD "que" when she replied in Englihs; don't force it but by having your DD point to something when asked, "que" it can reinforce her ability to say word = x
At the very least, a lot of the language is likely being imprinted, so when and if she studies Spanish in school, she will pick it up much faster and more naturally than her fellow students.
You are going to have to start speaking it a bit as well.
It is likely that would be helpful.
My 15 month old grandson's nanny also speaks Spanish to him all day. He says a few words in Spanish as well as speaks a few words of English. I think that he feels comfortable using both languages as his parents reinforce some basic Spanish with him in the evenings and on the weekends. It will be interesting to see how his language progresses as he get a little older.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQConvict
At the very least, a lot of the language is likely being imprinted, so when and if she studies Spanish in school, she will pick it up much faster and more naturally than her fellow students.
My toddler has just now turned two. Since birth she has had a Hispanic caretaker that has spoken nothing but Spanish to her. Her father, brothers, and I only know English. Being a teacher, I know the importance of being fluent both English and Spanish and I was hoping that my daughter could one day help Hispanic children just coming into the public school system and speaking no English to feel more comfortable. Our daughter's caretaker says that she knows everything that she is saying in Spanish but that my daughter will give her the answer to her questions in English, not Spanish. Will the Spanish come or are we doing something wrong? (Rosa is with my daughter about 8 hours per weekday.)
Robbie
Have you personally observed the interactions between the caretaker and your child? I wanted the same for my child, and it didn't work out. One problem was that the caretakers nearly always gave the English equivalents for everything they said, fearing the child would not understand. Or they would quickly give a translation if the child seemed confused, rather than simply restate what they originally said, use gestures, etc. Some of them actually used very little of their native language at all, finding English easier to use in that situation. A few others saw themselves as language teachers, and instead of using the language naturally, tried to "teach" it by holding things up and saying the words and trying to get my child to repeat them. If my child responded to them in English, they would keep saying, no, not a book, a .... This upset him because it WAS a book, after all. These caretakers were the worst ones, because they actually understood nothing about language acquisition and sort of ruined the whole process by trying to do it consciously.
The only thing that worked was when my mother in law lived with us for a while - she simply didn't speak a word of English the whole time, and although at first my son didn't respond in her language, he eventually began to.
I would say that either she just needs more time, or Rosa is not speaking as much Spanish as she says she is. Also, she should be reading her books in Spanish. Kids learn a lot of language from books.
You should probably try to observe, like stay home and say you are working from home and just see what goes on. You might be surprised.
Let me add just one more thing - is Rosa educated? If not, then I question the quality of the language interactions in the first place. She may simply not have much to talk about beyond basic needs, and that really isn't a very rich language experience. I have seen this happen with friends" children and some of my students - people think their kids are learning something, but actually they really aren't even interacting much beyond basic questions and answers.
Have you personally observed the interactions between the caretaker and your child? I wanted the same for my child, and it didn't work out. One problem was that the caretakers nearly always gave the English equivalents for everything they said, fearing the child would not understand. Or they would quickly give a translation if the child seemed confused, rather than simply restate what they originally said, use gestures, etc. Some of them actually used very little of their native language at all, finding English easier to use in that situation. A few others saw themselves as language teachers, and instead of using the language naturally, tried to "teach" it by holding things up and saying the words and trying to get my child to repeat them. If my child responded to them in English, they would keep saying, no, not a book, a .... This upset him because it WAS a book, after all. These caretakers were the worst ones, because they actually understood nothing about language acquisition and sort of ruined the whole process by trying to do it consciously.
The only thing that worked was when my mother in law lived with us for a while - she simply didn't speak a word of English the whole time, and although at first my son didn't respond in her language, he eventually began to.
I would say that either she just needs more time, or Rosa is not speaking as much Spanish as she says she is. Also, she should be reading her books in Spanish. Kids learn a lot of language from books.
You should probably try to observe, like stay home and say you are working from home and just see what goes on. You might be surprised.
Let me add just one more thing - is Rosa educated? If not, then I question the quality of the language interactions in the first place. She may simply not have much to talk about beyond basic needs, and that really isn't a very rich language experience. I have seen this happen with friends" children and some of my students - people think their kids are learning something, but actually they really aren't even interacting much beyond basic questions and answers.
I have also had friends who discovered that their babysitter was barely literate in her native language. They had provided plenty of children's books in the foreign language but discovered that the babysitter was not reading to the children at all just letting them look at the pictures on their own. They thought that they were providing their children a language rich environment in a second language and it turned out that the sitter rarely even talked to the children besides asking them if they were hungry or tired. And, the sitter usually just sat the children in front of the TV showing cartoons & shows in English.
I am certainly not saying that is what is happening to the OP's child, but it is something to consider.
Thank you all for your wonderfully helpful replies! Rosa is super smart and has a college degree from Mexico. I have watched her interact with my daughter and from the moment she walks in she speaks Spanish to her, watches TV programs with her in Spanish, and reads books to her in Spanish. It is a beautiful relationship and my daughter loves her. My husband and I feel so blessed to have her in our lives. My daughter's English was a bit delayed as opposed to both of our other children--she didn't even say Momma until late this past summer. I had read that it might be a bit delayed because of the two languages. However, you read on here about all these kids that can speak THREE languages at two years-old and I just thought that we were not doing something right. My husband is a preacher and gets to be home later than I am. He told me yesterday that Micah Jordan said something to Rosa and she started getting out a pan. He asked Rosa what she said and Rosa told him, "Make me an egg." So, maybe I have been impatient! Thank you again for all of your responses. Blessings on you all.
Robbie
My toddler has just now turned two. Since birth she has had a Hispanic caretaker that has spoken nothing but Spanish to her. Her father, brothers, and I only know English. Being a teacher, I know the importance of being fluent both English and Spanish and I was hoping that my daughter could one day help Hispanic children just coming into the public school system and speaking no English to feel more comfortable. Our daughter's caretaker says that she knows everything that she is saying in Spanish but that my daughter will give her the answer to her questions in English, not Spanish. Will the Spanish come or are we doing something wrong? (Rosa is with my daughter about 8 hours per weekday.)
Robbie
Nothing wrong IMO.
Many children exposed to two languages are only using one, although they can understand both.
My daughter (4) is raised in two languages - we are French expats here in the USA. But she "chose" to speak English because that's the language she hears everywhere here, the one she needs to use with people she meets. But she understands everything we say in French, the stories we read to her, the French movies she watches... only, she will systematically reply in English. The fact is she thinks in English, it's what is natural for her. My guess is it's the same for your child. As I often say about my daughter, she's "bilingual in her head".
Moreover, your child is only 2, she's only starting to grasp oral language. Give her time!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
